Mechanical foot manipulator



Jan. 9, 1940.

H. G. HALL MECHANICAL-FOOT MANIPULATOR Filed lay 4, 1939 .myn Y//IIIIIII'IIII (AK- J n 27 I INVENTOR v Halfgy'enzll his: ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan., 9, 1940 UNITED` STATES 2,186,105v MECHANICAL roor MANIPULATOR Harry Glen Hall, New York,.N;Y., vassigner to Max E. Singerman and Ellisi Arndt, both of.New

York, N. Y.

Application May 4, 1939, serial No. j.271,660

3 claims. (ol. 12s-55)" 1 l on a platform, or cabinet, vwhich in turn may be 10 mounted on casters. The said foot plate has formed therein a Aplurality of openings, in which latter fingers, plungers, or pistons are made to perform a movement, preferably a substantially vertical movement, as said ngers with their 1" upper parts or. surfaces act upon the sole of the foot by beating against the latter in an interchangeable manner.

.The said foot plate may be stationary, or adjustable, that is, it may be subject to be lowered o or adjusted as to height, whereby a more or less intense action of the manipulating ngers may be obtained.

The saidioot plate, which is provided with a lheel rest, may likewise be adjusted, as to length,

` 25 in order to permit the use of said foot plate without regard to the size of the foot treated.

Thus by adjusting the heel, this will allow the foot to assume the proper position on the foot plate, so that the mechanical ngers would Work 0 properly under the metatarsal articulations.

Besides the fingers hereinbefore referred,V to,

said foot plate has also mountedtherein a heel and ankle manipulator.

It is to be understood that anysutable materials may be used in the construction of the various parts of the device; thus, for instance, the top part of the manipulating fingers may consist of resilient rubber, although the ngers themselves may be'made of uniform and any "U suitable material.

The openings in the foot plate may be of any desired and convenient shape.

The said device may, if desired, be operated on the principles of an automatic slot machine, 'it by inserting a coin in the device, operating the latter for a certain period of time.

The device may be operated by a motor, or `manually; and the fingers may be actuated by a crank-shaft, a cam-shaft, coils, or by com- With the above and other objects in View, this invention consists of the novel features of combination, construction and arrangement of parts,

5 .hereinafter fully described, claimed, and illusparts in all views, and in which:

` on the linel 'I-l in Figure 2.

vtherewith would not need further illustration,

trated in the accompanying drawing, forming part of this application, and in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding Figure 1 is a top plan view of my invention. Figure 2 is atransverse sectional view, taken on the line 2-2 in Figure 1. l

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view, taken on the line 3-3 in Figure 2. i lFigure 4 is a transverse sectional View, taken on the line 4-44 in Figure 2.

Figure 5 shows in side elevation a modication of mydevice.

Figure 6 shows aidetail sectional'viewof the u heel and ankle manipulator.

Figure '7I is a transverse sectional View, taken Figure 8 is a transverse sectionalview, taken on the line 8-e8 in Figure 7 while Figure 9 is a detail sectional view, taken on the line 9 -9 in Figure 1.

Ilteferring more particularly to the drawing, Figure 1 shows my device, in which a foot plate II is mounted'on a platform. I2. Said device is in the corner thereof provided With a slot I3 through which a coin is inserted, in case it is desired to operate the vdevice as an automatic slot machine; the specific mechanism in connection as this mechanism may be any one of the con- 30 ventional kinds. However, there has in relation to said form of operation been shown a time control switch I4, connected to the motor I5, and indicated herein in dotted lines.

The foot plate 1| is provided with a strap ls 35.

adapted to retain the foot to be treated in position on the plate. Said foot plate is formed with a plurality of openings I1 therein through which 'thengers I8 operate.

Said foot plate is at the rear en d thereof made 40 with a heel rest I9; and a short distance in front of the latter is arranged a heel and ankle manipulator 2l) operating in the opening 2l of the foot plate.

The foot plate `may be adjusted as to length by means of a sliding arrangement shown in Figure 9, wherein the rear part 22 of said foot plate, with the heel rest I9, adjustably slides upon a v reduced portion 23 of the foot plate, while said 50 rear part is restricted as to movement and held in position relative to the latter by means of a stud 24, which engages a recess 25 in said reduced portion.

The foot plate II may also be adjusted as to u vto operate through the openings l1 in the foot plate, may be actuated in different Ways, such as by means of a crank system, 'as shown inFigure 2, but other forms of the vconventional types may as Well be utilized. In.`Figure 3 is shown a motor i5, which drives a gear 29 that in turn meshes with the cams Sil andA 30', While ,the lower ends of the ngers are attached to the crank shaft, as `shown at 3| in Figure 2.

The said fingers may be of unforrn material, or they may have a resilient rubber portion, or a portion ci any other suitable material attached to the upper end thereof, as shown at 32 in Figure Y a, and Figure 6.`

The heelA and ankle manipulator` 20,has been shown of a substantially rectangular shape, although other forms may as Well be applied; it is operated in a similar manner. as the said fingers.

In Figure has been shown a spring 33, preferably embodied in the construction, when the ngers are operated` by a cam system.

'The platform may be mounted on casters, as indicated atll.

What I claim as new, anddesire to secureby Letters lPatent of the United States, is:

`1. A mechanical foot manipulator comprising, in combination, a -foot plate, the latter being adjustable horizontally and vertically, means for adjusting said foot plate in a vertical direction, said means consisting of an eXcentric cam, and a slide operating the latter, the foot plate'being formed with a plurality of openings therein, iingers operated by a crank shaft and adapted to be interchangeably propelled through said openings, and means for operating said crank shaft.

2. A mechanical foot manipulator comprising, in combination, a foot plate, the latter being adjustable horizontally and vertically, means for adjusting said foot plate vertically, said means consisting of an excentric cam, and a slide operating the latter, and means for adjusting said foot plate horizontally, said latter means consisting of a` slidable heel rest, the rear end of the foot plate being made with a reduced portion, having a lateral recess therein, said heel rest being adapted toslide upon the reduced portion, the said heel rest having a stud adapted to engage the recess in the latter, the foot plate being `formed with .a plurality of openings therein,

fingers operated by a crank shaft and adapted to -be interchangeably propelled through said openings, and means for operating said crank shaft,

3. Ay mechanical foot manipulator comprising, in combination, a foot plate, the latter being adjustable horizontally and vertically, means for adjustingsaid foot plate vertically, said means consisting of an excentrlcfcam, and a slide operating-the latter, and means` for adjusting said foot plate'horizontally, said latter means consisting of a slidable heel rest, the rear end of the foot plate being made With a reduced portion, having a lateral recess therein, said heel rest being adapted to, slide upon the reducedv portion, the said heel rest having a studadapted toA engagethe recess in the latter, the foot plate being formedwith a plurality of openings substantially at the center thereof, and with another single rectangular opening inthe rear portion thereof, substantially cylindrically shaped fingers operated by a. crank shaft and adapted to be interchangeably propelled through said openings in the center, and a rectangularly shaped member operated by said crank shaft and adapted to be propelled through the opening in the rear portion and means for operating said crank shaft.

HARRY GLEN HALL. 

